Nutrition Tips When On Vacation

Usually around this time of year we go on a vacation – whether that’s a short weekend trip or a full week so I thought that I’d share some nutrition tips when you’re on vacation.

I don’t know about ya’ll but I want to feel rested, restored, and rejuvenated after vacation. But when we go on vacation, we eat out more, our eating patterns change, and that can effect how we feel. So I thought I’d share some tips with ya’ll.

Photo by Joan Tran on Unsplash

Stay Hydrated

When I’m getting ready for the day before having my breakfast and coffee, I sip on water. I try to do this regularly, but especially on vacation.

When you are eating differently and, if you’re like me, eating foods that I love but my body has a hard time digesting, it’s important for you to stay hydrated for your digestive health so it can break down food properly and move things along. When eating differently it can cause constipation, and a simple thing to do to help prevent that is staying hydrated.

Another reason why this is important is because water helps with your energy. When dehydrated, one of the first signs you can have is fatigue. When cells are not properly hydrated, your ability to produce energy is reduce.

likemeat-f96pzsJZpcs-unsplash

Fruits and Veggies

You might not want to think about what you are and are not eating, but keeping in mind having some sort of fruit or vegetable with every meal helps.

When eating out and eating heavier meals, having fruits and vegetables throughout the day helps because of fiber but also with keeping things lighter. When I have heavier meals back to back I feel more sluggish, so keeping it fresh and light, even with one of the meals, keeps me going.

Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash

Move

You don’t have to keep up with your normal workout routine when on vacation, but staying physically active during that time does help when you are back home and needing to get back to your usual grind.

Physical activity does help with energy level by increasing oxygen in the blood and endorphins. It also helps you sleep better at the end of the day for a deeper nights sleep.

Which brings us to my last point.

Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash

Caffeine and Alcohol

Everyone reacts to caffeine and alcohol differently, so you know your own beat, but I thought I’d share a few things to keep in mind.

For people who have too much caffeine it can result in insomnia, feeling anxious, or digestive issues, especially when drinking coffee. Those are things you don’t want in your usual routine, and definitely not on vacation.

One thing to consider with alcohol is it’s effect on sleep. Alcohol does have a sedative effect and make people feel drowsy and can help someone fall asleep, but it reduces and interrupts our REM or deep sleep. Many that have an alcoholic drink a few hours before bed will find their sleep interrupted and wake up in the middle of the night.

Sleep is always an important factor to me, but especially on vacation, I want to feel rested and not exhausted and mentally foggy that can result from a lack of sleep.

Video Coming Tomorrow

Tomorrow I’ll have a video that talks about these points and a recipe for a pizza I made last year for our anniversary while sheltering in place!

Keep finding your beet and I’ll see ya’ll tomorrow!

Advertisement

Coffee & Hydration

As the weather becomes cooler and the shorter the days get, the more coffee I consume. Especially on gloomy rainy days, coffee is a must. I used to think I needed to drink more water throughout the day when I had more than my usual 1 cup of coffee, but studies have shown for years now, that moderate habitual coffee consumption does not have a dehydrating effect. When I say moderate habitual coffee consumption, I mean 3-6 cups a day. If you need a refresher on the studies done a few years ago, or want to see for yourself, the studies are below.

Studies: 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3886980/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11022872/

What does this mean?

Caffeine is a mild diuretic, which means that it activates the kidneys to get rid of excess sodium and water. However, when drinking coffee or tea, you are drinking liquid with the diuretic caffeine, and thus are adding to the liquid so nothing is actually lost.

This doesn’t mean you can replace all water intake with coffee or tea, but it can be counted towards your liquid intake for the day for hydration.

If you are needing to rehydrate after working out, being in the heat for a long period of time, or being sick, water and sports drinks are still the best option. Also, right after waking up, water is still the best option since you are more than likely dehydrated from 6-8+ hours of not having any liquids. So rehydrate before caffeine, but you shouldn’t worry about caffeine dehydrating you in a hydrated state. Did that make sense at all?

And remember, everyone has their limit of caffeine that they can handle. Some can not handle any type of caffeine. Some can take certain types, but not others. And some are tolerant to it and can consume more. Where ever you are in the spectrum, as long as its in moderation, coffee and tea are not dehydrating to your system.

So enjoy your cup of joe in the morning! Mornings are for coffee and hydration or…late morning…afternoon…evening…